Conventional user interfaces (UIs) limit user input to input received from control devices such as a keyboard, a mouse and the like. One solution to the limitation of input modalities and devices in connection with conventional UIs is accepting gestures as input and performing recognition on those gestures. Gesture recognition provides a more direct interaction between human and machine as compared with conventional UIs. Gesture recognition associates spatial and temporal information and can replace traditional control devices in future UI applications.
The ability to track human movements and determine performed gestures can be achieved through various solutions or tools. Although a plethora of research has been performed in image/video based gesture recognition area, there is variation within the tools and environments used in various implementations. Some solutions use specialized depth-aware cameras, such as structured light or time-of-flight (TOF) cameras. The structured light cameras generate a depth map of scenes or objects seen through the camera at a short range. The depth map is used to approximate a 3D representation of the scenes or objects viewed through the structured light cameras. However, the structured light cameras are only effective for detection of hand gestures due to their short range capabilities. MICROSOFT® has developed a 3D sensor KINECT® for XBOX 360® games. However, the KINECT® creates a depth image, which contains depth information of objects in the environment to help accurately predict 3D positions of user body joints. Other solutions use stereo cameras, such using a pair of cameras whose relations to one another are known, a 3D representation can be approximated by the output of the cameras. The use of a stereo camera in combination with direct motion measurement of a user's body motion, aids in capturing gestures for detection and recognition. Therefore, although there are methods to detect gestures using three-dimensional imaging systems such as KINECT® and the like, there is no simple way to detect a gesture that is three-dimensional in nature through the use of a two dimensional imaging device.
Therefore there is a need in the art for an efficient method and apparatus for gesture recognition using a two dimensional (2-D) imaging device.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.